Thief frig'it
by HMS-Thiefship
Summary: The times have been tough on Anime villains... Marik and Bakura take to house sharing as their solution to monetary worries. But is a normal life without the supernatural thrill enough for the pair? Will an old nemesis come between them?And what the frig happened in Vegas? Read on and find out. Characters and some dialogue created by Little Kuriboh: YGOTAS Frig'it frigate ship
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1**

The cold stone beneath my feet began to rumble, I felt the rotting wood of the bench creak and shudder. I looked around; I seemed to be in a church of some description, black as night save for a single flickering light over by the altar. I slowly stood and walked towards the light. As I approached I began to see a hooded figure standing behind and though I couldn't see his eyes I knew he was staring straight at me. My apprehension grew, yet my feet continued to bring me closer to this mysterious character. I finally reached the altar, there was a solitary candle burning uncertainly in the centre and beside it there was an ornate knife. It looked old, very old… I looked back up the shadowed face, the ground shook with greater intensity and a steady trickle of dust rained down from the ceiling.

"Are you ready Florence?" said the figure

The voice was strained and echoed, it was like it was being shouted from a long way away. I found myself with no words to reply, the fear growing within me forcing its way up into my throat. The shadow stood motionless patiently awaiting my reply, another tremor shook the building.

"Y..Yes" I croaked, swallowing the emotions sitting in my trachea.

The figure slowly raised his arms and suddenly a pulsating, fractured light flooded the room. An eye began to appear under the hood glowing with the unearthly hue. I stepped back the renewed terror now trying to force its way out of my stomach. The rumbling intensified rolling into one continuous tremor; the rotting beams of the ceiling groaned with complaint. I could hear some of them give way, crashing down onto the floor behind me splintering into thousand pieces. A vicious wind began to batter my face and chest, the figures cloak was spread wide and he began to laugh but there was no joy in it. There was a crash as the walls around me began to crumble; I saw the pillars collapse bringing the roof down until there was nothing left but the altar. The shadow continued cackling evilly before slowly crowing.

"Could I get… a hug?"

Suddenly the knife was in his hand and was advancing towards me. The hood swept back revealing the demonic face of my assailant and I fell backward hitting the ground with a sickening thud. I put up my arm to defend myself and closed my eyes…

"Bakuraa! I command you to rise and shine sleepy head!"

A voice cut through the misty veil of sleep as I was forcibly roused into consciousness.

"It's already half past! We're going to be late"

I rolled over eyes still closed, trying with all my might to preserve the blissful state that you only ever feel when you know you have to get up. There was a click and suddenly a blaze of white clawed at my eyelids.

"Marik! Turn that bloody light off!" I groaned, desperately trying to find some shelter from the onset.

"You need to get up" insisted the voice.

"Fine!" I resigned bitterly. "Why don't you make yourself useful make some tea '_Mum' _"

I heard the door close accompanied by some incoherent grumbling. Marik is such a damn morning person I thought to myself. 5 o'clock start Monday? I'd rather spend the day with Melvin! Thankfully we don't have to get to work till 9, but right now it was a fact of little consolation. I shook myself from my reverie and cracked open an eye. Bloody hell that light is bright! With a sigh and a struggle I pulled myself into a sitting position and opened my eyes. After a few seconds of furious blinking the room came into focus. It was a mess as usual; a jumble of clothes strewn across intermingled with the occasional wrapper or soft drinks can. I smiled to myself, Marik hates mess, he's so anal…

"Hurry up kitty! Your tea's going cold!"

I grimaced. I hate that nickname; he really does get on my nerves sometimes. I clambered out of bed and rummaged around for some clean clothes.

"Finally!" Marik chided as I yawned my way into the tiny kitchen.

"And good morning to you too Marik" I retorted scathingly.

"How come it takes you so long in the morning anyway, you don't even do anything!" He continued, un-phased.

I sat down opposite and took a gulp of my now lukewarm tea.

"This coming from the _'man'_who gets up at 5 every day just so he has time to do his hair and put on his makeup" I smirked back. "Oh and how long does it take you to spray on your tan?"

"Hey EFF-you!" He shouted "My tan is 100% genuine as you well know!"

"Yes well" I conceded, having been down this road before. "The rest still applies"

Marik scowled himself into silence and proceeded to add jam to his already over-buttered croissant.

I shot him a look of distaste before draining my tea and standing up.

"Right, I'm off" I said walking towards the door.

"Oh no it's already quarter to blurred pixel!" he exclaimed, animatedly staring at his invisible watch.

"Marik, it wasn't funny the first time, it definitely isn't funny the 666th time you say it" I replied wearily.

I turned to look at him. An expression of smug self-satisfaction was plastered across his face. I sighed, bloody video games…


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

As usual with work there was a problem and as usual I didn't know what it was. To be honest I didn't really care, all I knew was that it meant an extra 4 hours working at this buggaring depot. I still can't believe I've been reduced to this. When I think about it, it all comes back to that bastard Marik.

Following the disastrous escapades of his so called 'Evil council of Doom'; I found myself severely out of pocket. I had also recently lost my apartment, (Apparently the couple downstairs didn't appreciate the blood leaking from they're roof), so Marik suggested I move in, to which I grudgingly agreed.

Looking back I'm not quite sure how we managed to profit from our villainous deeds previously, but with this no longer an option we were forced to get 'regular jobs'. Marik's job suited him perfectly, although he still refuses to admit it. He works for a major retail company, designing and producing swimwear…for women. I, on the other hand, had some trouble with my hunt for employment; as every time I went for an interview, the position was always mysteriously filled the moment I arrived. Eventually Marik's sister; Ishizu, took pity on me and arranged for me to work for one of the museum's transport companies. I've been working here for a couple of months now, it's pretty menial work for an average pay. Mostly carrying crates around the place like an idiot before being told that they need to be where you picked them up from: Ridiculous. With the added downside that every time I talk about work in front of Marik, he goes into hysterics, giggling something about "Foxy boxes". Still, all the heavy lifting has been doing wonders for me. I can tell because Marik has started getting insecure about his appearance again, he's such a girl…

"Quit slacking Bakura or we'll be here all night" Barked a voice over the radio.

"Yes _Boss"_ I spat in reply, with poorly concealed contempt.

Now there's a man I'd happily send straight to the shadow realm. I paused briefly to enjoy the image of Zorc repeatedly spewing hellfire over the said gentleman with his dragon penis. Insult and injury rolled into one: the perfect torture. I chuckled, shame he's the one that signs my pay checks…

"Bakura!"

Dammit what I wouldn't give for a moment of peace!


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

I finally was back in the damp little house I now call home. Marik was asleep on the sofa in front of the TV – A vampire diaries marathon, wonderful, now he'll probably insist on using my computer to play his bloody game! I took off my jacket and wandered into the kitchen. I quickly emerged with a badly needed cup of tea and some Tacos and joined Marik on the sofa. I flipped through the channels until I found a showing of 'Cannibal Holocaust'. Marik stirred, I glanced over at his sleeping form and was strangely surprised at the peaceful look on his face. Marik didn't often sleep well; he was always restless, plagued with childhood nightmares… I smirked to myself; he must be having a good dream. Probably some motorbike riding, oiled up body builder called Steve with a rod to rival his own…

"Fluffy!"

My subjugations of Marik's bizarre psyche were interrupted by a sudden outburst. I quickly switched my attention back to the television as he babbled himself awake.

"Fluffy? When did you get back? What time is it?" He mumbled rubbing his eyes.

"I've told you not to call me that!" I snapped back. "Now be quiet your ruining the film for me"

Marik glowered and fell silent. His eyes flicked across to the TV.

"Cannibal holocaust again?" he said disdainfully.

"It's my favourite film" I replied.

"Yeah because of all the blood I remember… Oh frig!"

Marik looked down at his hands which were smeared with a black gunky liquid.

"I've smudged my eye-liner!" He exclaimed in dismay

I turned and let out a snort of laughter.

"You look like a baby panda!" I sniggered.

Marik pranced off to the bathroom to wash and reapply his makeup.

"That guy is so in the closet it's like bloody Narnia" I muttered quietly, shaking my head.

I returned to watching the film absently remembering that Marik had blurted my least favourite nickname after waking up. Interesting, I wonder what he was thinking about…

At his point Marik returned makeup now fully restored, and sat down.

"So Marik… what were you dreaming about?" I asked casually after a carefully calculated pause.

"What…?" He replied distractedly.

"You know when you were asleep on the sofa, what were you dreaming about?" I asked again.

Marik tucked his legs underneath him and stammered.

"Wh..what makes you think I was dreaming?"

I noticed Marik was suddenly uncomfortable, his bronzed cheeks rapidly turning a light shade of pink.

"Well you didn't look terrified for a change and then you were talking…" I continued, realising his discomfort and pressing it to my advantage. I gave him a wry smile and the flush in his cheeks turned a shade deeper.

"What did I say?" an evidently anxious Marik half squeaked.

"Oh nothing really" I replied coyly. "Just something about you being in love with me"

"Shut the frig up Kitty!" He stormed, a crimson flood bloomed into his effeminate features. "As much as you'd like me to be, I'm not gay!"

I smiled contentedly and returned to watching the film. Unfortunately Marik's panic had made him unusually observant and he was slowly going through the conversation in his head.

"And how exactly do you know how I look when I'm sleeping normally?" Marik said suddenly.

"Ermm… Well…" I started slowly, quickly thinking of a plausible reply. "This is only like the 666th time I've come home to find you asleep on the sofa" I finally blurted, with a forced degree of scorn.

"I guess…" said Marik, his accusing eyes gradually returning to their normal state of confusion.

I let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. As much as I may enjoy aggravating his overactive homophobia, actual indications of affection are more likely to cause him to freak out than shed his irritating insecurities. I'm in for the very long game with Marik... An awkward silence followed, punctuated by the occasional screams of the kidneyless girl currently onscreen.

"Soo..." I began, in an attempt to relieve the tension "Did you… have a good day at work?"

Marik turned and raised his eyebrows. I instantly regretted the question, I never show any interest in his work, mainly because I don't have any. I braced myself for the inevitable monologue of crap he seemed to have and endless supply of.

"It was err… good thanks" He said uncertainly "I spent the morning designing some transparent bikinis so you can tan all over, and then the afternoon modelling them"

"That sounds about as useful as 'Turtles with facebook' idea" I smirked.

"…And then I came home and watched all four seasons of the vampire diaries!" He continued.

He does have a ridiculous talent for talking, I thought as he rambled on about who Elena should have got with, and how Stevan and Damon have exceptional abs but not as good as his… and on and on.

"Oh that reminds me!" He said excitedly, waking me from my stupor.

"Can you set up the magical computer box so I can do my next episode of my 'Let's play of Troika's Vampire the masquerade'!"

I groaned.

"Again! Last time you were in my room for hours!"

"But Bakuraaa" he whined "It's the only game that lets you feel like you're actually…"

"In a failed Jos Wheedon project… yes, yes I know you did that one in the first episode" I interrupted impatiently.

"But..."

"No buts Marik, you're not playing it"

At this Marik scowled, pulled out his millennium rod and pointed it in my face.

"I command you to start the PC!" he boomed.

"Oh come on Marik, we both know that only works on Steve's." I replied sinking back into the cushions.

"Where exactly were you hiding that thing anyway?" I continued quizzically looking up and down his scantily clad frame and back up into his violet eyes.

"None of your business!" he retorted. "Now stop checking me out and let me use the computer!"

"No. Now shut up Marik, I'm missing the film"

"Obey my rod!" he screeched, clambering on top of me and repeatedly jabbing at my chest.

"Get the EFF of me Marik you buggaring bastard!" I growled back, trying to slip out from under him.

"No! Not until you let me use the computer!"

I looked up at my housemate in bemused disbelief. His naivety is truly astounding. Here he is pinning me down with his thighs, pointing his rod suggestively towards my face and yet he still fervently denies that he is gay. I realised at this point that Marik, still awaiting a response, had retreated slightly and now had his leather clad backside planted firmly in my lap… "And there's the icing on the cake" I thought to myself. I knew that there would be no reasoning with him now. It only takes a day or two to pick up on Marik's abounding stubbornness and I'd been living with him for months. Besides the sooner I got him off me the better, it was beginning to get decidedly uncomfortable.

"Fluffy…" he started threateningly.

"Oh fine!" I shouted back "Just so long as you don't do your ridiculous start up routine this time"

"Yayyy! success!" He crowed in smug delight "I'm coming for you Mel Gibson!" And with his he jumped off me and raced upstairs.

I sat there for a minute, mulling over the implications of Marik's behaviour of late, but in the end there was only one thing I knew for certain.

"Marik you are an idiot" I concluded quietly, and slowly followed Marik upstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

"Winged PC in the sky! Hear my…" Marik began in rhythmic chant

"Marik!" I growled "What did I say…?"

"Oh yeah, sorry fluffy" came the flamboyant response.

Marik was currently spinning around on my chair waiting for the game to load. I shook my head and went over to my desk. It's not that I didn't trust Marik in my room, It's just Marik has a habit of doing erratic things almost always leading to a "CRASH!" followed by an "Oh frig!"

I grimaced and picked up my book. Ah 'The Count of Monte Cristo': a classic Dumas novel and my favourite by far. An adventure story of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy and forgiveness. Of a wrongfully imprisoned man seeking retribution… Sort of reminds me of Marik, well except for the forgiveness part. I smiled darkly to myself and looked up at Marik who was busy muttering something about 'shallow graves' and 'cranes'.

"Are you writing all these down Bakura?" Marik asked

I grunted in response and sat down on the bed; "He's not quite a synonym for the protagonist in this novel" I thought "but he's got the backstory." Marik was now busy talking about Mel Gibson, I didn't really want to know why.

"This is like 'The Shining' only with Mel Gibson instead of Jack Nicholson! Which means it's ten times scarier!" he rambled

"Don't worry Marik, I hear he's very civil if you give him blowjobs on demand!" I stifled a laugh as I watched the indignant revulsion unfold on Marik's face.

"Why is the answer always blowjobs?" He shouted back.

I rested the book on the bed and amusedly watched Marik's animated and loudly vocalised attempts at playing the game.

"Ahh! The cobwebs sparkled at me! But I am not going to give it a blowjob" He ranted to no one in particular. "Right, this is very simple, i'm just going to crabwalk up these stairs and… Ahh! I knew I shouldn't have crab walked! Oh how the hell do I get out of here?"

"Blowwjobb" I crooned with a smirk.

"Shut up not happening"

I glanced down at my book, but I was now more intrigued by effeminate closet homosexual of a housemate. He really was an idiot, no doubt about it. But an attractive idiot, there was no doubt about that either. Funny how when anyone suggests that Marik is gay it's always with me, I mused. Maybe that's the reason he always gets so angry about it. My train of thought was broken by Marik shouting about 'demonstrating his sexiness' while he chased a woman down a corridor.

"Where'd she go? Well if I know if I were a woman I know I'd instinctively go to do the Laundry" I heard him say.

"Marik that was incredibly offensive!" I said austerely.

"I know" he replied.

"I liked it".

"I know" he said again.

I tried to return to my reading but found myself staring at Marik as he gesticulated towards an invisible Mel Gibson. He really is a good looking villain, he remind me a lot of me… I chuckled, no wonder I like him so much then, oh the narcissism... I started thinking about Marik's repeated insistence that he is straight which caused me unconsciously crack a smile. Not a single girl the whole time I've known him has seen more than the midriff he displays to the world, well bar his sister but even with his tomb-keeper upbringing I think there were limits to the immorality. Come to think of it, I've probably seen more of him than anyone! With the 20 something showers he takes a day, he spends most of his time with no clothes on at all, and on the occasion he does don clothes they barely cover half of him. If anyone else did that you might assume they were just getting repeatedly laid! I was interrupted again by Marik, but this time he was shouting "something… something... SLAM VERY HARD!"

"I'd like you to slam me very hard" I replied absently in true Freudian style.

Luckily Marik was too busy to notice.

"Will you keep it down Bakura I'm trying to play a video game"

I growled dismissively and returned to my book. Barely four pages later I was interrupted yet again, but this time by the doorbell. "Who the bloody hell is calling round at this time?"

"Bakura will you get the door?" said Marik

"I'm busy" I replied coarsely. He's the only playing a bloody video game, why should I get up?

"You're not busy your pretending to read a book" he quipped back

"W-what makes you think I'm pretending" I replied, slightly taken aback.

"You've been on the same page for like 2 hours, you've just been staring at me"

"No I bloody haven't" I flustered. I felt a heat rising in my cheeks but thankfully Marik was still staring at the screen.

"Put down the count of Monte Cristo, and go answer the count of Monte door!"

I growled despairingly and threw down my book. I could see the familiar outline as I walked down the hall. "Just what we needed…" I opened the door and was greeted by a nasally whine.

"Hey guysssss!"

Jack Slenderman, lives nextdoor: A small time actor, (with some dubious past-times), who recently managed to score the lead in a major movie deal. He then proceeded to dissect and rebuild script to his own whimsical fantasies. It went from 'Concrete Giraffes' to 'Slenderman' in less than a day. I shuddered internally. "Hollywood…"

"What the frig are you doing here!" Shouted Marik from upstairs, having recognised the nasal tone.

"I heard you guys were playing a video game" He drawled. "Can I play the video game?"

"I wonder how you heard that!" I mumbled under my breath. Jack Slenderman was the most prying man I'd ever met; there was no real privacy with him as a neighbour.

"Bakura tell him to piss off!" Marik shouted again, to which I heartily agreed.

"Yes do piss off!" I concurred.

"But I'm an extremely elite gamer!" he argued

"The only way you could help me is if you know a way to defeat Mel Gibson!" Marik continued

"Have you tried giving him a blowjob?" was his straight… erm… no faced reply

I smirked as Marik spluttered and then screeched.

"Get the ever loving frig out of here!"

"Bye guysss"

I slammed the door behind him. I hope he takes the hint…

"Man our neighbours suck Bakura…"

Marik didn't even look away from the screen as I came back into the room.

"Marik that's enough" I said "you've been playing for hours; I need to get some sleep."

"But Bakura…" he started whining again

"No Marik!" I cut him off

Marik pulled a face like he was chewing on a lemon before standing up dramatically and marching into the next room.

5 minutes later after he had thought of a cocky enough reply, I heard him shout back.

"Well you definitely need your beauty sleep!"

"Kiss my arse Marik!" I replied

"But there's poop down there!"


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

I drew back the curtain and let the warm light stream into the room. A nice day… Makes a bloody change, sometimes I think the good weather wasn't included in our 'low rent' option. Not that I'm personally a massive fan of sunlight, in fact I much prefer a slow, icy drizzle; It really sets the right mood with me. Unfortunately however, my work forces me outside a lot and even evil villains don't enjoy being chilled to the bone and soaking wet. But I didn't have to worry about that today! Not just because of the good weather but because today is Saturday. One of the few things I have in common with the mindless cretins of the 'normal' world is my anticipation of the weekend. It's less about having free time to myself and more about not having to do anything at all. My natural laziness was a source of constant annoyance for Marik who had to be permanently entertained. Whether he's recording his bloodlines videos or making a god almighty mess in the kitchen he was always busy. I glanced at the clock on the wall, quarter to 11, it's a wonder Marik hasn't barged in announcing that he's bored by now. I picked up the solitary pair of trousers from the floor and slipped them on. I padded across the carpet, but as I reached the door I heard Marik coming up the stairs. I bet he's going to burst in and try to jump on me; his favourite way to wake me up when I sleep in. I quickly darted sideways and backed up against the wall. A second later the door slowly opened and I saw his sandy locks emerging around the frame. With an triumphant cackle I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his skinny neck and sending him crumpling forwards onto the bed. There was a resounding cacophony of generic breaking sounds as we landed. I instantly rolled off and stood up, I suddenly realised my arm was covered in a warm liquid.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FRIG KITTY!" Marik yelped rolling over and staring at his ex-lavender shirt.

I quickly identified the mixture Marik was currently attempting to brush off of his chest as; Breakfast - more accurately ex-breakfast. I smiled guiltily and wiped my tea soaked arm on a nearby shirt.

"You just Effing glomped me you limey fruitcake!" he yelled furiously scrubbing the remains of a bacon sandwich from his top.

"Oh, erm… sorry" I replied nervously.

I was extremely confused. Marik never makes me breakfast, let alone brings it to me in bed! What the hell was going on! Marik had fallen silent and was sadly picking the crumbs out of his hair. Barely seconds of the welled eyes and half pouted lips was more than I could bear. I quickly paced towards him and crouched down. Marik looked up; his wide eye's stung with hurt: It took a great deal of strength to keep a steady gaze.

"Marik…" I said slowly. "You need to get that shirt into the wash now, or it will be ruined"

I saw a flicker of surprise cross his delicate features. I have always had a deep contempt for his love of clothes and I often told him so. For me to express concern in one of his most cherished habits is practically inconceivable to him; but I couldn't take another second of that buggaring look. Marik continued to sit motionless, a multitude of conflicting emotions battling for domination of his face. I sighed, exasperatedly and took hold of the shirt hem. His emotions finally settled on shock as I wrestled the shirt from his skinny frame. His unbearable' lost puppy' silence persisted as I wheeled around, marched out of the room and down the stairs. As I strode into the kitchen, I held the sodden material up to the light; it was currently a light shade of brown with streaks of grease coating the collar. It was an uncanny likeness to the curtains in my old apartment. My light hearted musings were swiftly crushed by the lead guilt I was currently carrying in the pit of my stomach. I dashed over to the sink and threw in the shirt, quickly followed by an extremely excessive squeeze of soap. I turned the tap to scalding and began scouring aggressively. After a few minutes, most of the dirt had disappeared; it was almost back to new. There was however the question of the large stain that had been left in the centre…

"Oh bugger" I mouthed, biting my lip. My eyes darted around the kitchen for something to use.

"Salt? No. Hand cream? No. Baking soda? No. Perfume?… what the frig is that doing in here?… Bleach? Err I don't think so… "

"There's stain remover in the cupboard under the sink" Said a quiet voice from behind me.

I span round. Marik was stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame and staring at me with an amused expression. His head and torso softly illuminated by the morning sunlight, he appeared to be glowing.

"Err… Okay… Thanks Marik…" I stuttered back, struggling for words.

He simply smiled in response; I could feel a heat rising in my cheeks and quickly began rummaging through the cupboard. Ah vanish, that sounds about right. I emerged holding what looked like a hard bar of soap. I glanced uncertainly at Marik and then began scrubbing again. "It's not working!" I thought frantically, staring at the stain which had now turned a bright orange. I suddenly felt Marik's hand on my bare shoulder.

"No you need to rinse it" said Marik "Here let me…"

Marik leant across me and grabbed hold of the shirt. I instantly tensed as his arm brushed my chest and a spicy sweetness invaded my nostrils; I took an unconscious deep breath, immersing myself in the smell. My eyes flicked up and I quickly stepped back: I couldn't tell if Marik had noticed, but he seemed to be smiling. I awkwardly scanned the kitchen for a towel and spotted one on the table. As I dried my hands I tried to make sense of the whole situation but I couldn't make heads or tails of it, he's behaving so strangely…

"Why do you care about my clothes all of a sudden Fluffy?" Marik asked, now wringing out his shirt.

"I… I don't" I replied "I just felt bad after you brought me breakfast that's all…"

"It's just this is my favourite shirt you know?"

"I… I didn't know" I lied.

"Well… thank you, I appreciate it"

What the hell is going on! This doesn't sound like him…

"Well… I'm sorry I jumped at you, I hope I didn't do too much damage" I said slowly.

"Actually!" Marik said, laying his shirt on the side and turning around. "I think I've bruised my eye, could you take a look?"

"Oh really? I didn't mean…" I started apologetically.

I stopped as Marik quickly closed the distance between us until he was stood barely inches away. He looked up at me expectantly and I obligingly inspected his eyes for the supposed bruising.

"Nothing there" I concluded. "They're perfect"

And they really were, a deep piercing violet tempered by the softness of his lightly browned features. Marik didn't respond, he continued to gaze up at me with a look I had never seen in him before. A sort of quiet anticipation, or longing… I felt the flush creep back into my face, but there was nowhere else to move to. Marik's features were beginning to tinge pink as well, the hunger in his eyes intensifying and drawing me into a mesmeric stare. This… is… wonderful! But there's something strange I can't place… It's so spontaneous, it's like he's a completely different person. Marik shifted forwards until we were practically nose to nose. My eyes closed as he leaned towards me…

"No homo…" he whispered gently.

My eyes shot back open. Marik's face began to warp and distort, a glowing eye split onto his forehead and in seconds Melvin was stood in front of me arms out wide, with and evil glint in his eyes. He grinned maniacally:

"Hug?"

I turned and tried to run but the floor had been swallowed by pitch black swirling vortex. A purple fog twisted around me engulfing the walls into the void; lightning crackling in sheets above my head, kindling the open sky into a roaring fire. I looked back at Melvin in terror. He held the Millennium rod above his head and, laughing insanely, brought it down in a furious arc; plunging the tip deep into my chest. The pain was immediate and intense, blossoming into crescendo of agony as I staggered backwards. I clutched at the wound; hot, thick blood pulsing between my fingers.

"Why...?" I murmured slowly and then, I was falling. Down, down into the deep black oblivion.

I woke with a start, covered in a thin film of freezing sweat. I sat bolt upright, my eyes slowly becoming accustomed to the gloom. My heart was still racing as I tried to return to reality.

"It was just a dream" I said quietly "Just another bloody dream"

After I had finally convinced myself that Melvin was not indeed trying to destroy me; body and soul, I looked over at the clock. The same clock which had read 10.44 SAT in my dream, currently read 4:22 TUE… Fan-friggin'-tastic… I suppose as my nightmares go this was one of the better ones. I mean I was quite enjoying myself until Melvin finally showed up. I pushed the heels of my hands into my eye sockets, trying to remember the less excruciating parts of the dream: Something about breakfast, and washing and Marik shirtless. All I could seem to hold onto firmly was the artificial feeling I had had throughout. It was never going to happen like that for me and Marik, if indeed it happens at all… 4:23, Marik will be getting up soon. No point trying to sleep now, he makes a hell of a noise when he takes a shower… I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Too quickly, my eyes blurred and I staggered sideways. My foot caught on one of my discarded boxers and a tripped headlong into my desk with an almighty bang! As I sat there trying to work out which bit of me hurt most, I heard a bustling in the next room. Suddenly the door was flung wide open, light streamed in and I put up my hand squinting to see Marik's silhouette in the door frame.

"Fluffy? What are you doing down there?" Said Marik sleepily.

"Dancing the fandango with the bloody prince of Wales… What the bloody hell do you think!" I snapped back rubbing my head with a groan.

Marik was particularly slow in the morning and it took a minute for him to process the sarcasm.

"Are you okay?" he settled on.

"I think so" I replied gingerly trying to stand.

"Oh frigging hell Bakura!" he exclaimed with a gasp.

"What? What is it?" I panicked seeing the odd look in his face.

Marik paused for a second before excitedly replying:

"Your hair looks exactly the same as normal and you haven't even done anything to it! How do you do that?"

I grimaced internally. That man will be the end of me. I pushed past him as I limped onto the landing, his face a mixture of concern, excitement and confusion; Strange… I had no idea you could pull off that many emotions at once! I made my way to the bathroom to inspect my injured face. I swept back a considerable quantity of thick white locks and looked carefully at the circular bruise forming quickly on my forehead.

"Ouch that's a big one!" Said Marik entering the bathroom, towel in hand.

He looked very different without his makeup. Looking at him in the mirror I could see his eyes seemed larger and more expressive. His hair was a mess, but it always was like that at this time in the morning. My eyes widened slightly as Marik took off his shirt and hung his towel over the radiator. I marvelled at the intricate masterpiece that is his tomb keeper marking; a tattoo spanning his entire back, carved into the flesh by a true professional. As much as I share Marik's hatred for his father I can't help but admire the handiwork of the long dead psychopath. I then remembered his other creation. I shuddered… Melvin… Through the years of torture and psychological abuse, Hank Ishtar had single handedly created the single most evil entity in existence. No morals, no remorse, no reason! Melvin would sooner rip out your entrails than say 'Hi'. Despite having been dormant for over 2 years it played constantly on my mind that Melvin could emerge at any point. He was one of the only things that I truly feared...

"What the frig are you looking at Fluffy?" said Marik with notable discomfort, having noticed my stare.

"Nothing" I replied quickly averting my gaze.

I splashed my face with some cold water before leaving Marik to his noisy shower. Returning to my room, I walked over to the window and drew back the curtains… The downpour outside was battered against the window by a fierce wind. I sighed.

It was not going to be a good day…


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

It was not the first time that psychopathic alternate of his had invaded my dreams and I doubted very much that it would be the last. They had been happening more frequently recently which apart from feeling like crap every day at work, left me with a distinct feeling of unease, particularly around Marik. Being inherently 'evil' the millennium ring allowed me to sense more acutely the activities of other dark powers; I guessed my sense of foreboding was not without basis… He was getting more powerful.

"Stop daydreaming Bakura! I swear if you spent the same time working as you did dawdling you'd have been home yesterday! Christ… It's not as if you're irreplaceable, only reason you're here is I owe Ishizu a favour …r that… off on the races…"

The persistent screeching noise of radio spluttered into silence as the battery died. No doubt I'd be paying for the replacement, but I concluded the welcome silence was well worth it. I breathed deeply taking in the warm, humid lungful air. It was going to rain again; I could smell it… This morning had been horrific: I had arrived late and received an earful from mr Cena (my boss) before being told that exhibition pieces that we had been expecting over the next few weeks had all arrived together. 6 hours of backbreaking work and a skipped lunch break later I was about ready to drop. The only thing that kept me on my feet was the stubborn resolve to not give that good for nothing lazy wanker in the crane the satisfaction. I gripped ladder firmly and closed my eyes, trying to dispel the dizzy sensation circling my brain. I glanced round at the giant clock on the wall.

"15 more minutes, then I can leave" I muttered firmly to myself.

I swayed slightly and steadied myself against the shelving.

"Pull yourself together!"

I reached up and took hold of the box I'd been looking for. It was a tiny thing; plain wood barely 6 inches long and 4 wide. I smirked, not a patch on Marik's jewellery box you could fit the bloody crown jewels in that thing! My smirk faded as my fingers traced the barely noticeable design adorning the top. I looked more closely blinking the sleep from my eyes. Inlayed in the wood was an all too familiar pattern in a thin gold thread. It was almost entirely flush with the surface and was only visible by the light reflected from it. I tilted it towards me allowing the sun to reveal the whole front: the millennium eye shimmered back at me. A second of apprehension stayed my extended hand; there was something powerful within this box. My breath caught in my throat as I gently lifted the lid…

A blinding light raced over my head followed by another, then another and suddenly a whole stream of them blurred into sight. I was moving, moving very fast. A garble of voices barely legibly over the sound of my own laboured breathing were beginning to focus in my mind; at the fore front was a nasally whine drilling straight to the core of my rapidly developing headache.

"Fluffy! Fluffy? For frigs sake speak to me!"

"Shut up Marik…" I rasped hoarsely. This short outburst left me in spasms of agony; I felt the sweet black embrace of unconsciousness eating at the corners of my sight…

"Oh thank Ra your alright!" Said a giant wide eyed face suddenly in front of me.

"Of course I'm bloody alright!" I growled drawing on my contempt for his blatant concern.

"I survived your 'fake Armani' crisis; I think I could survive something as simple as…" I faltered as my brain roamed into a distant haze. What did happen?

"W..what am I doing here?" I mumbled.

"You had an accident" replied Marik matter-of-factly .

"Oh really!?" I sneered back with as much sarcasm as I could muster "And I suppose that I'm on a bed being wheeled through the corridors of a hospital too?"

"Yep" Came the oblivious response.

I groaned; the headache was back with a vengeance.

"Cut the obvious bullshit Marik!" I croaked "What happened?"

Marik likes describing things; and when he does, he likes do it with a lot of hand gestures, especially when it's completely inappropriate. I lay there with a painful grimace on my face watching Marik animatedly depict my torturous ordeal.

"Oh! Well one guy who saw it said you were on top of a ladder getting something from the shelf, then there was this like really bright light and then you fell off and landed on some crates. This other guy said…"

Marik kept on talking but his explanation had sparked a memory. The box! Where was that box!? I remember there was something very important in there…but what was it…?

"Are you listening to me Kitty?" Pouted an indignant Marik.

I sat up, the searing pain down my side flared up instantly but I suppressed it and slid the rough hospital linen from my chest and looked down. My gaze was instantly transfixed by the foot long wooden splinter protruding from my chest. It was low down on the right hand side and at a rough guess, about 2 inches were currently embedded in my lung.

"Please lie still sir, you've been in an accident. We are taking you the surgery now" A voice from the background of white coats piped up authoritatively.

"Kitty you shouldn't move around!" Marik squeaked in agreement

"I told you…" I muttered gruffly wrapping both hands around the splinter. "Not…to call me that!"

I took a sharp breath and pulled hard. My eyes rolled back into my head and nausea climbed up my throat. I swallowed hard, the wooden shard in my hand disintegrated into tiny pieces as my white-knuckle grip tightened further. The panicked chatter started up again and a symphony of beeping proceeded to push my headache into a full-blown migraine. The trolley stopped abruptly and several attendants clustered around me. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and amid fervent protests stood up. I felt the cold vinyl floor beneath my bare feet begin to move, I reached out a hand to steady myself against the corridor wall.

"Fluf…?" Marik started apprehensively.

"Marik!" I interrupted gruffly, grabbing the collar of his soft lavender shirt without raising my head. "If you call me that one more time I will… Burn your entire wardrobe…"

A significantly paler Marik swallowed hard and started again.

"B… Bakura, you should get some rest; you're hurt badly!"

"I'll rest once you pull yourself together and get me the bloody hell out of here!" I snapped back

"Now…" I said looking down at my tattered clothes, and noticing for the first time the distinct lack of millennium ring. I grabbed the nearest babbling throat and dragged them up to eye level.

"Where are my things?"

"In… The lobby" the white coat choked back.

"Good" I smiled, letting the figure fall to the floor. "Let's go get them shall we Marik"

I walked off down the corridor, a dumbstruck Marik in tow.

A growing sense of urgency quickened my pace as I followed the helpfully labelled corridors towards the main reception. I felt bare, not because of my clothes but the millennium ring. It had been part of my life for so long I no longer felt complete without it. I thought back remembering my first acquaintance with the ring… My father… Consumed by his work I barely remembered his face between his few short visits. The last time before he left for good; leaving me look after my deranged mother, I stole the millennium ring from amongst his things hoping it's value would force him to come back, I was wrong… It had ever since been both a torment and comfort to me, a constant reminder of my childhood helplessness and the source of my current strength. It was that naïve emotion that awoke the rings true powers. Drunk with the new strength I recklessly pursued my every whim, thieving and burning I tore through the land, ever hunted and feared. Had it not been for the patient temperance of the person I used to be, I would have destroyed myself. I owe 'him' my life and for that I restrain the darker urges, I retreated to the shadows and closed myself to the world. I often felt that I would never form a real relationship, what were the chances of there being another quite so supernaturally and emotionally damaged individual? But then I met Marik… Although as dense and clueless as Tea, Marik and I shared an unspoken connection; he was the only person I considered to be a f…

"Fluf… Bakura! Where are you going?"

Marik's whining made me realise I had passed the lobby; I cursed to myself and hurried over to where he was standing.

"I got your things!" said Marik proudly.

I ignored him and emptied the box, scattering the contents across the desk. The was a metallic jangle as the millennium ring slid out in front of me. I quickly grabbed the leather cord and slipped it gently over my neck breathing an imperceptible sigh of relief as the familiar cold spikes rested against my chest.

"Hey this would be perfect for my rings!" Piped up Marik suddenly

I glanced up to see what he was talking about and spotted a small wooden box in his hands...

"It's even got a millennium eye on the front! This is so cool, can I keep it?" Marik continued, turning to me with a childish glee.

"Marik we need to go… now" I replied quickly.

I glanced around, there were several people taking an interest in the commotion we were creating, more notably the security guards who were regarding us with a wary unease.

"Come on Marik there are cabs out front, did you bring any money?"

"Huh?" Marik replied absently "Oh no I didn't…"

"Then how…did you get here?" I paused briefly realising the less than favourable, but inevitable reply.

"I brought my bike… Hey kitty there's something in here!" Marik remained oblivious to the growing suspicious atmosphere and continued to rattle the box.

At this point my patience wore thin; I snatched the box from his hand and tucked it into the waistband of my 'trousers'. I gritted my teeth,

"Grab your keys Marik"

I placed a firm hand on the small of his back and half pushed him towards the exit. Ignoring his protests that I was crumpling his top I pressed him forwards through the double doors. The security guards both watched closely but made no attempt to follow. I relaxed a little once we got outside and allowed Marik to take us to our 'ride'. And there it was, all two and a half metres of death machine that he calls transport.

"This just about rounds off a perfect day" I remarked wearily.

"Don't tell me you're a scaredy cat kitty…?" Marik smiled, revelling in his rare moment of superiority.

"Call me that one more time…" I seethed through bared teeth.

"Oh calm down and get on the friggin' bike Bakura" he replied sourly.

Apprehensively, I took the proffered helmet and clambered on behind him. I don't know how he thinks this is 'cool' to ride, I thought bitterly and for that matter, this kind of closeness isn't really Marik's idea of a good time… It was only then I realised the slogan written across the back of his jacket :

'If you can read this, my bitch has fallen off!'

Brilliant… So if I do fall off and die, at least the rest of the traffic will be in good humour…

"Ready"? Shouted Marik over the revving engine

I was about the respond with a sarcastic quip, but I found my words being forced back down my throat as Marik accelerated out of the car park to the squealing of tyres.


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

It took me a long time to calm down from my ordeal. I felt as if my life had flashed before my eyes every second I'd spent in that wide awake nightmare!

"Marik, we are getting a car…" I whispered over the clattering of my trembling tea cup.

"Oh come on" said Marik defensively "My motorbike isn't that bad" he looked up, frowning slightly, a screwdriver poised in one hand and an array of oily metalwork spread across the cloth in his lap.

"…And by the way I found the bit that was jarring your arse every time we went over a bump" He held up a springy looking part and shot me a crafty grin.

I couldn't find the words to express my feelings towards him (not for the first time) so I averted my gaze back to the now lukewarm substance in my cup. 'Bad' would not be the word to describe Marik's handling of his favourite mode of transport. Reckless would also be a gross understatement. No… the word I would most closely associate with it is… 'Suicidal', I can't really explain it any other way. It's a wonder he hasn't been arrested already…

"You know you really should've stayed in hospital, you could've broken some ribs and got a haemothorax!" Said Marik knowledgably

I raised my eyebrows, impressed by his apparent grasp physiology. Unfortunately his see-through 'I'm not lying face' had been something I had discovered very early on in our relationship and I knew to look for it every time he says something half-way intelligent.

"Soo… haemothorax… that's to do with your heart right?" I asked casually, looking away to stop myself from smiling.

"Erm yeah…" he started uncertainly "It's where you get something stuck in the blood thingies so you get all clogged up and die…" He noticed the slight curl at the corners of my mouth and realised he'd been rumbled.

"Oh all right I heard the doctor who looks like tarzan say it okay! Friggin know-it-all… can't let me have one little thing can you Kura…"

My smile faded quickly to puzzlement 'Kura'? That's a new one… But Marik was all but absorbed by his greasy metal again and I decided not to comment. He had a point though; it had been a nasty fall. If I was a regular person I might have been in a bad way, but as Marik seems to constantly forget I do possess a certain dark power that makes me near immortal to conventional beings. Still I guess it's kind of cute the way he worries… Wait did I just describe something as cute? I must've hit my head harder than I thought. Bloody hell… what's wrong with me!? Luckily Marik interrupted what was turning into a rather disturbing, character-shifting, internal monologue.

"So what's in the box?"

Holy crap on a biscuit, after everything, I had completely forgotten about the blasted box! I sat up quickly and rummaged around in my trousers.

"Hardly the time or the place Fluffy…" Marik said coyly, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Oh shut up you ibecile!" I retorted through clenched teeth. I withdrew my hand; the small wooden artefact clutched between my fingers. Marik wrapped the engine parts in the cloth and placed them gently on the floor. He shuffled across the sofa for a better look as I placed the box on my knees and prised open the lid. A rush of wind suddenly blasted the room which, to many might have seemed strange, but Marik and I were familiar with the bizarre weather conditions magical powers seemed to initiate. I heard Marik gasp as he noticed the immense power radiating from the object within, I took in a breath and blew the millennia old dust to reveal…

"A coin?" Marik blurted in shock and disappointment.

"Quiet Marik" I shot back, but he was right. Inside the box lay a solitary gold coin about the size of 2 pence piece and twice the thickness. I reached out and softly lifted the coin from its ancient resting place and turned it around in my palm. One side was completely plain with no adornment whatsoever; the other side had the Millennium emblem etched crudely into the surface. It felt heavier than it looked but I could no longer sense any power about it at all.

"Well that's just disappointing!" Said Marik unnecessarily, sinking back into the sofa.

I didn't reply. I just continuously turned the coin over and over trying to discover its secrets, there had to be more to it! After five minutes of my silent contemplation Marik got bored and went back to fixing his bike. An hour later Marik left to reassemble the pieces and soon after he left my exasperation overcame me and I threw down the coin in frustration. It fell silently onto the threadbare carpet where I glared at it intently.

"I need a drink" I said to no one in particular.

"Yes please!" A muffled shout from outside signalled Marik's astonishingly selective hearing.

I shook my head and strode into the kitchen. The comforting roar of the kettle soothed my depleted concentration; "Friggin' coin… Makes me end up with a bloody wooden shard in my chest and it doesn't even have magical powers!" There was a loud click as boiling finished and I made up two cups of my favourite tea. Marik has to put up with my expensive beverage tastes; the tea is specially imported from Britain and the kettle is a quickboil pro 2000, top of the range! In my opinion it's a small ask for the amount of crap I have to deal with, but he has been developing a taste for it lately which makes things easier. I turned around with the cups and nearly collided with a blackened, oily Marik standing in the doorway. Not quite how my imagination pictures that image I sniggered to myself… I then realised I had spilled the hot tea onto my hands and it was currently delivering a painful scalding. I swiftly proffered the cups to Marik who took them with a bemused half smile and ran to the sink to immerse my burned limbs in the cooling water.

"Ahhhh!" I breathed in pain and relief.

"You okay kitty?" Marik asked. Even with my back turned I could tell he was smirking.

"Yes I'm fine Marik…" I replied bitterly.

I switched of the tap and turned round. Marik smiled jovially and handed me back my cup.

"I fixed it! Loose bolts in the suspension casing!" He crowed chirpily. Oh god, I hate it when he goes all engineering on me… With our respective sheltered lifestyles and connections with ancient Egypt, we had both been left with a lot of technological basics to catch up on. While I became more interested in computers and other such gadgets, Marik and his age old love of motorcycles had become particularly handy on mechanical issues. I'll wager even this house is currently being held together as a result of Marik's handiwork.

"Fantastic…" I replied after a pause. I took a sip of tea and cursed as the burning feeling was rekindled on my tongue. Marik smiled again, pulled something out of his pocket and began fiddling with it. I realised that it was the mysterious coin that I had been investigating.

"Marik! That is not a toy…" I said in annoyance.

"Calm down 'Kura it's not like it does anything…" He replied casually.

There it was again! 'Kura' when did he start calling me that exactly? I decided not to comment, he got enough attention using the rest of his nicknames for me…

"You don't know that…" I retorted unconvincingly. Marik ignored me and continued playing with it, he was now flicking it into the air with one hand and catching it again.

"You know…" he said absently. "I wish we had a bit of extra cash… It's so boring not being able to fund any of our evil genius plans… Oh frig…" The coin clattered to the floor, spinning around and coming to a stop with the eye staring upwards. There was a sudden breeze…

I reached up and shut the window. Why was that even open anyway…? I hated to admit it but I did agree with him, there was something too 'normal' about everyday life for me to really enjoy any of it.

"Yeah… It would be nice… But let's not forget it's your own bloody fault that we are broke in the first place!" I said cocking my head and piercing him with an angry glare. Marik ignored me again and placed the coin on the kitchen table eyeing it curiously.

"What is it?" I asked impatiently, waiting for him to explain his puzzled expression.

"What? Oh nothing" He replied distractedly. "Hey do you want to watch something?"

"I don't think Twilight is on tonight…" I smirked at him awaiting the heated response.

"For the last time Fluffy! I don't… like… Twighlight!" He shouted back, his hands placed firmly on his slim, feminine waist.

"Oh right… Just all the other vampire crap right?" I replied, my smirk broadening into a grin.

"YES… wait what?" Said Marik confused.

"Come on let's see what's on TV" I said, laughing gently.

I followed Marik into the lounge where we sat in our usual seats at opposite ends of the small sofa. I picked up the remote and turned on the television. The thick black and white fuzz of interference crackled out at me from every channel. Digital had not yet reached the dingy suburbs of… Wherever we were in Egypt…

"The signals gone again" I said

"Yes I can see that fluffy I'm not an idiot!" Marik pouted

"Widely disputed…" I muttered quietly.

"What!?" He replied angrily.

"Nothing…" I continued quickly "Well the tv is out we could always watch a film"

"That sounds like a good plan! So long as it isn't Cannibal holocaust again…" Said Marik, still looking at me suspiciously.

"Alright" I stood up and walked over to the small shelf on which we kept our meagre collection of films:

'Cannibal Holocaust directors cut edition' - of course

'Slenderman' - courtesy of our creepy next door neighbour

'A tombkeepers guide to social reintegration' - a housewarming present from Ishizu. (Unopened)

'Lost season 1 box set' - from when I actually paid attention to TV trends.

'Finding Nemo' - Which I think was left here by the previous owners. Marik has watched this one about 400 times and recites the dialogue word perfect whenever we watch it together.

Marik's battered copy of 'The Neverending Story' on VHS.

The only other film we had was one I'd stolen from the local shop one night when I got bored.

"Hey do you want to watch that one we havn't seen yet?" I asked turning around and holding up the case.

"Yeah, might as well" Said Marik "What is it called again?"

"Hot Fuzz…" I replied dubiously looking at the cover. I slotted the disc into the ancient player and waited for the heavy drone to change to a clean whir as image suddenly appeared on the screen.

In the beginning I found the film vaguely amusing but was growing quickly bored by the lack of action. The moment the decapitations and grizzly murders started happening my attention was instantly grabbed. Marik on the other hand began to lose interest; the gore proving enough to put him off the mild well humoured dialogue.

"Ha! Did you see that Marik!" I chattered excitedly pointing at the screen. "His head just completely exploded!" I looked around at Marik, anticipating his shocked expression. But I was disappointed to find him fast asleep. I rolled my eyes and continued watching the film; Marik always seemed to fall asleep if you put him in a darkened room… Just as I was enjoying Timothy Dalton being skewered by a model church spire, a hard, hairy object collided with my shoulder. I jumped and my arm moved away allowing the object to continue falling into my lap. It was Marik… he snored loudly and rolled onto his side. My arm still hovered in the air as my uncertainty caused me to freeze. Well this is… unexpected… My brain raced. I know he didn't mean to do it he's asleep… Isn't he? I stared intently at his face looking for signs of consciousness; his hair was covering his eyes so I reached down and gently brushed it aside. Definitely still closed so probably asleep I concluded. I relaxed allowing my arm to rest on his chest; feeling it rise and fall with his steady breathing.

"It would be unfair to wake him" I thought "let him sleep. He did skip work and come to the hospital after all!"

I returned to my attention to the film, but it was difficult to drive the fact that I had Marik lying in my lap from my mind. I realised after a few minutes of forced aversion that the credits were currently rolling up the screen.

"Bloody hell" I muttered. Now trapped beneath him with no distraction, with the remote out of reach… How could this get any worse…? I had to think it… At that precise moment I began to notice how 'comfortable' it was. Even as I realised what I was thinking I could no longer picture anything other than Marik very much awake in the same position…

"Oh frig…" I gasped. A growing heat was rising throughout every inch of my skin and suddenly this position was remarkably less comfortable. I closed my eyes and began the time honoured ritual of forced relaxation. I breathed out deeply, thinking very hard about what I could have for breakfast at the weekend. Painstakingly slowly my personal crisis subsided and I decided that it might be best to move Marik. I glanced at my watch and noticed it was now quite late. Maybe I should just put him to bed… I gently lifted his head from my lap and shifted his back and legs into the crook of my arms. I stood up slowly. He weighed surprisingly little for someone of his physique; I guess that's due to him being rather short. I chuckled; he was one of those people who doesn't look short until they're stood next to you. I often wondered if he used the power of the millennium rod to make people think he looks tall… I strode over to the TV and pressed the power button with my toe; I then turned around and headed up the stairs to his room. I crouched down, a twinging pain in my chest caused me drop him rather roughly onto the silky sheets. One hand shot to offending area holding it tightly as I anxiously stared at him to see if I'd woken him; I had not as it seemed. I drew the covers over him, and glanced back as I closed the door; "He is so much more bearable when he's asleep" I mused wryly. I brought my hand away from my chest dripping blood onto the landing carpet.

"Crap!" I exclaimed, rubbing the spots with my foot. Marik would not appreciate that! I dashed to the bathroom and eased off my shirt. While healing phenomenally quickly by medical standards the wound was still fresh and oozing. I must've made it worse while carrying Marik… Wetting my hands I rubbed the skin around it cleaning off as much excess as I could and grabbing the medical kit from the cabinet I retrieved a set of sterile bandages. After several unsuccessful attempts at dressing my injury, I jammed one end of the bandages in the door, held the other and twirled towards it.

"Bloody Hell!" I cursed loudly as the 'jammed' end fell to the floor.

"Need some help?" said a voice.

I started and dropped the bandages as Marik's head emerged around the edge of the opening door.

"Erm no… I've got this" I replied suspiciously "I thought you were asleep?"

"I was!" said Marik quickly "It's just… you were making so much noise in here I must have woken up" he smiled and returned my steady gaze. I looked away and returned my concentration to the bandages. Again I tried to wind them around my chest only to watch frustratedly as they came loose and fell to the floor.

"Here let me do it!" said Marik snatching them off me before I could reply. Within seconds he was busy wrapping and tucking. I felt his fingers brush my chest and I tensed, something about this feels oddly familiar…

"All done" He beamed proudly.

"Err thanks Marik…" I wanted to know where he had learned to do that but sometimes with him, it was better not to ask…

"Right I'm going back to bed… Some of us have work tomorrow…" Said Marik suddenly, prancing back to his room.

"I wonder what he meant by that?" I thought, but tiredness had started to set in and I no longer cared. I padded back to my room, tentatively lay down on the bed and promptly fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8

The familiar grating buzz of the alarm drilled through the remnants of what had been a mercifully dreamless sleep. I rolled over; heavily bringing my outstretched arm down on the squawking plastic. There was a crunch as the brittle casing gave way and the noise faded out with a pathetic whine.

"Why do mornings exist?" I thought irritably as I gingerly sat up and examined my chest. The bleeding appeared to have stopped, well at least that was something… With my body screaming defiance with a multitude of aches and pains; I brought myself to my feet, swaying slightly as light headedness took effect. Slowly, I wandered out of my room and towards the shower. Thank Zorc Marik had finished his routine and it was currently free. Closing the door I quickly pulled off my clothes and jumped underneath the steaming curtain of water. I looked up, eyes closed, letting it cascade onto my face and down my neck. Frig that felt good… I glanced down and fumbled with the bandages, it took a minute for me to undo Marik's complicated knots and twists but finally the crimson linen fell away. The skin had almost completely healed leaving a scar of less than 2cm length as a memento. I smiled contentedly and closed my eyes again, breathing deeply and slowly, I was fantastically relaxed…

"Sorry fluffy forgot to do my eyeliner"

I opened my eyes and slowly turned my head towards the door. Marik was currently leaning close the mirror, one hand resting on the sink and the other applying his designer make up.

"Marik… can't you see I'm using the bathroom!" I seethed, half turning my body towards the wall and looking daggers over my shoulder at him. He looked up, screwing the brush back into place and grinning.

"Oh come on…" he said smirking "It's not as if I haven't seen it all before!"

"What!?" I replied shocked. "And when exactly have you 'seen it all before'?"

"Remember that evil council trip to England?" He said still smirking.

"Erm… No" I said, unable to recall the hazy details.

"Well you went to a club with some random guys… Mosh I think it was… By the time you got back to our hotel room you were unbelievably drunk! You'd already lost your shirt and kept going on about how Metal was like the Pharaoh of all music. I went to the bathroom and when I got back you were passed out naked on your bed! I think you tried to get changed or something…" Marik continued grinning broadly.

I felt my cheeks warm as the bells began ringing... On the other hand though It had been a good night!

"Anyway what are you doing up? I thought you'd get up at like 2 today…" Marik queried suddenly.

"What?" I replied confused "I have work…"

"Your work rang they've asked you take the rest of the week off to recover. Didn't I mention?" Said Marik innocently.

"No you didn't…" I glared at him "So what you're telling me is that I got up for nothing?"

"Not for nothing!" He quipped chirpily "You got to see me!"

I scowled at him as he span round and sauntered out, closing the door behind him. So… no work till Monday? Now that is some good news! I guess it makes sense, with the severity of my recorded injuries I would have probably been kept in hospital a few days if not for my early self-discharge. I smiled;

"What shall I do this morning then" I thought gleefully. I jumped out of the shower and quickly towelled myself dry. Donning my millennium rod pyjama bottoms, (A moving in gift from Marik) I bounded back to my room and dived contentedly into bed.

After several hours of positively glorious napping, I felt the calls of hunger drawing me out of bed. I rolled out drowsily and clomped heavily down the well-trodden stairs. I flicked the kettle on leaned against the counter. I noticed a scrap of paper lying on the table so I wandered over and picked it up; it was a note from Marik.

"Hey Fluffy, don't eat the last of the cheese I'm going to try cooking soufflé again tonight. Oh and I'm expecting my paycheque through today so please put the post somewhere safe! Marik x"

He is such a woman… I shook my head exasperatedly and tossed it towards the bin. It might've gone in, if our bin didn't have a lid… Oh well Marik can clean up later, besides he'll make a mess in here anyway; we'll probably need to redo the EFFing wallpaper. I turned around as the kettle boiled, pouring myself a cup of tea and jamming a couple of crumpets roughly into the toaster. The mysterious coin from last night was still sat on the table looking as unremarkable as ever. I flicked it into the air, absently muttering to myself:

"It would be nice if Marik could actually cook…"

At that moment I heard the post arrive so I put down the coin and quickly walked to collect it. Marik and I had declined the opportunity to use internet banking as a) Marik was pretty much hopeless with computers, unless it involved video games. And b) we were pretty certain our neighbour, Slenderman, was using our internet and was almost definitely monitoring our traffic. Nosey frigging git… As usual our postman had hurried on, I couldn't blame him; it's a rather suspicious neighbourhood… I scooped up the armful of paper junk that consisted mainly of newsletters from Marik's whimsical subscriptions. He wasn't even interested in most of these things, but he got them because they were free! I sifted through the colourful crap until I found something more official.

"Tax, bills, more tax…" I growled in irritation.

Ahah! Marik's payslip… I fingered the envelope thoughtfully. He never did tell me how much he earned, it can't be that spectacular or he wouldn't be living in this poor excuse for a house. Still, can't hurt to have a look… I carefully eased it open, trying hard not to tear it. I took out the thick letter and shook out the folds. Holding it out in front of me, I squinted trying to make out the words in the bright light of the afternoon, and skim read aloud.

"Dear Mr Ishtar, enclosed is your monthly payslip… blah, blah, blah… We are pleased to inform you that major retailers are interested in your…blah… purchased several billion units… blah"

For frigs sake when do they tell you how much!?

"For this we award you the appropriate commission…" Ah here we go.

"of £50 000…"

"Wait what?" I said aloud in astonishment. I continued reading to clarify what I thought I had just seen.

"In addition please find enclosed your standard wage slip of £632.41" As I reached the bottom of the page I saw the two aforementioned cheques paper clipped to letter. Sure enough, there it was… A cheque to one 'Marik S. Ishtar' for £50 000…I tucked the valuable package back inside its envelope and resealed it. That's just… ridiculous! Stunned, I continued to leaf distractedly through the remaining items, before suddenly realising that one was addressed to me; from a local lawyer firm. My daze quickly broken in panic, I tore it open racking my brains to work out what I could've been caught doing!

"Dear Mr Bakura, we are writing to inform you that: following an enquiry into the incident leading to your hospitalisation, it has been revealed that severe breaches of health and safety standards of equipment are present at your place of work. This being the case, the company in question 'Camel-lot' is responsible and indeed liable for your unfortunate accident. Enclosed is an initial compensatory payment. Further legal action can be taken if you wish to proceed; contact details can be prov…" I stopped reading and reached back into the envelope. I fished around, eventually drawing out a battered, scrawling cheque. £50 000 … I looked closer; it appeared to be signed by my overseer Mr Cena. The thought of that fat bastard signing me an apology cheque brought tears of joy to my eyes. But my overwhelmed brain was instantly drawing parallels between the two significantly large, but seemingly unrelated payouts we had received… This couldn't be a coincidence!

A loud persistent beeping sound signalled that my crumpets were ready. I dashed back to the kitchen, waving agitatedly at the smoke alarm and at the same time trying to salvage the charred remains of my 'lightly toasted' breakfast. I sighed, binning the inedible crumpets along with the junk mail and putting on some fresh ones. As I waited, sipping my tea, I spotted the coin sitting just as I left it on the kitchen table. I thought back, suddenly, to last night when Marik was fiddling with the thing, just before he said he wished we had a bit more money… No… that can't be it… I thought incredulously… could it? I walked over slowly, picking it up and eyeing it suspiciously; I looked for the hundredth time for any indication that it was of significant power. Nothing about its physical appearance looked out of the ordinary…. Again I was distracted by a noise; the front door had been opened and someone was entering the house and wiping their feet on the mat.

"Marik!?" I Called curiously, glancing at the clock.

"Hey fluffy!" Came the flamboyant response.

"Your home early!" I continued, still confused.

"Yeah" Said Marik, entering the kitchen "I finished early, so Jane said I could go home"

"Oh right…" I said, trying to remember who Jane was.

"My boss!" Said Marik coarsely, noticing the look on my face. "Anyway, are you hungry? I brought some eggs home to make the soufflé."

"Err… Yeah I guess" I replied, subtly extracting the semi-cooked crumpets from the toaster. I wanted to test a theory…

"Right I'll get started then" He chattered happily. "I'm feeling rather fresh after that half day today!"

I wandered wordlessly into the lounge with my tea and sat down. Grabbing the laptop I kept under the sofa, I quickly fired up google and typed in a search for millennium items. Predictably the first billion sites only referred to the 7 known items but when I added the word 'Coin' the results were narrowed to a mere handful. According to legend, after discovering the truth behind the millennium item's creation, the Pharaoh offered his own soul in atonement for his servant's sin. However the Egyptian gods, recognising his innocence, attempted to return him to his body. Akhenaden, realising the situation attempted to seal the Pharaohs soul within a coin in order to take control of the empire. But in the process his own soul was dragged into item as well. Henceforth the coin, also known as the medallion of fate, possessed both divine and demonic power. The eye, a symbol of the Pharaohs omnipotent rule, has the power to grant the wish of those who wield it. The blank side, symbolic of the void of Akhenaden's heart will corrupt and destroy that which the wielder desires. The beauty of the medallion is that only chance will decide who's power will prevail when a wish is made; for a wish of greater importance is likely to yield more disastrous consequences should the reverse occur. As a result the medallion was sealed within a thousand boxes, each harder to open than the last. The final of which could only be opened by the power of a millennium item… I looked up, staring blankly at the wall. It couldn't be true… but yet all the pieces seemed to fit. The box, the eye, the money… I tried to dismiss the fanciful ideas; there was one way to prove this theory. Marik was currently on his 26th attempt at soufflé, if this thing really did grant wishes then by rights it should, miraculously, be edible. I put the laptop back under the sofa and retrieved the coin from my pocket. Rolling it around in my fingers I allowed myself to hope.

"Maybe… just maybe…" I breathed.


End file.
